Precious Jules

AnnaMaria Stephens | Photo: Ethan Pines | January 10, 2013

One of S.D.’s most sought-after designers gets play from coast to coast.

Jules Wilson in downtown San Diego’s McClintock building

Make no mistake: When it comes to turning out some of the coolest spaces all over the country, Jules Wilson is on a serious roll. For the McClintock building, a downtown San Diego landmark built in the ’20s and seriously renovated in the ’80s, Wilson “peeled the onion” and gave the live-work lofts a “retro law firm meets new urban gallery vibe.” All 40 units rented out in less than a month. No wonder she’s a go-to designer for Oliver McMillan, the S.D.-based firm known for transforming ho-hum spaces around the nation into beacons of chic. Wilson has done about a dozen major projects for the developers, including a two-tower mixed-use property in Atlanta that’s anchored by an elegant mansion where residents can hang out with their friends.

Wilson, who lives in an airy concrete box of a loft in Little Italy, routinely scours cities like San Francisco, Miami and NYC for inspiration. “If I died and went to heaven, it would be the Boom Boom Room at The Standard in New York,” says Wilson, who recently designed the interior for the award-winning Gaijin Noodle + Sake House in the Gaslamp. The cozy eatery is a prime example of her high-glam, occasionally quirky work, right down to a custom-made dragon mural.

And this year, Wilson will move her nine-person firm to a highly visible East Village HQ with 22-foot ceilings and floor-to-ceiling glass. “It feels like we’re growing up a little,” she says. “Even though it’s against my nature to grow up.”